Lesson No.1

Proudly functioning without a fucking MySpace account since 2004

Tuesday, October 20

SCOTCH GRIME

The third running of Swn, the annual festival from Radio 1 DJ and all-round dude about Cardiff Huw Stephens, begins this Thursday (22 October) and Lesson No.1 are bringing the noise on the opening night at The Model Inn.

Devil Man are the shadowy latest concern of Lesson No.1 favourite Shigeru ‘Shige’ Ishihara, aka Game Boy gabba loon DJ Scotch Egg, with pal Gorgonn from likeminded London crew Dokkebi Q. Promising dark, heavy dub fit to crumble walls, it's Scotch Egg's third ongoing project alongside his solo work and noise-rock band Drum Eyes. No music online that we know of but concurrently copping tunes from here, here and here will give the general idea...

andtheywillriot! (all lower case, thankyouverymuch) burned brightly a few years back, with post-hardcore cleverness along the lines of bands like Botch and The Blood Brothers. Having relocated from Cardiff to London, they’re back after a hiatus, ready to issue a second EP. andyouwillhavealisten,okay?

Team Brick, aka Bristol noisemaker of some repute Matt Williams, deals in a unique, ever-morphing brand of experimentation, previously encompassing guitar pedal abuse, throat singing and even, at the Invada Invasion show in Bristol last month, orchestral pieces. A new album, 'Hyper Vapour', is on its way before the end of the year. Before that, the self-titled debut LP by Beak>, Williams' side concern with Portishead's Geoff Barrow and one of Fuzz Against Junk, comes out on Invada. A Lesson No.1 first no less (unless you count his cameo drumming for Steveless supporting Shooting At Unarmed Men and Duracell way back in 2005!), so get a sonic education.

The Death Of Her Money are more Lesson No.1 staples and almost certainly the finest, heaviest band in South Wales operating today. Throwing names like Isis, Pelican and Neurosis about tells half the story, but their doom-laden discordance is a lot more besides. Their next record is recorded and ready for release - savvy record label owners, you know what to do. And if you don't, bone up here.

Times for the night run thusly:

And They Will Riot (10.30pm-11.00pm)Devil Man (9.30pm-10.00pm)Team Brick (8.30pm-9.00pm)The Death Of Her Money (7.30pm-8.00pm)

And the fine print: wander down to The Model Inn, Quay Street (just round the corner from Clwb Ifor Bach, for the geographically confused) from 7pm. It's £7 on the door or else point your browser this way for festival wristbands and that way for a full list of festival info/times, etc.

(Disclaimer for anybody interested: in the slightly nightmarish preparation for our Swn show, bands we attempted and failed to get for one reason or another included Themselves, Burning Love, Magik Markers and All Leather, so don't say we never tried, yeah?)

Friday, October 9

AT WAR WITH GRINDCORE

Once again the spectre of cancellation hits Lesson No.1, but even swine 'flu can't stop this virulent little bastard TONIGHT (Friday 9 October)

Insect Warfare are Texan grindcore supremos on the final tour ever and they're guaranteed short, fast and loud. They have product on Earache (their latest release ‘World Extermination’, which is actually a Euro reissue of a 2007 LP), Relapse, 625, Six Weeks and labels like that, which may give you an idea of what to expect – 100% raw, unfiltered blastbeat brevity with more than ‘nuff powerviolence and hardcore nous chucked in. They broke up in 2008 and then threw it together once more for this tour, so represent. Check the aural war right here.

Atomçk are a digitally-mangled grind duo from Newport for fans of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, The Locust, Pig Destroyer and various digigrind madmen. Mainly given to kicking out guitar/vox/drum machine mini-mini-mini-symphonies between 30 and 90 seconds long, sometimes they’ll switch it up and introduce some dragging sludge riffs. Split with Spider Kitten out now on their Sharp Noodle label. Sample their noise here.

Pus replace Desecration, who were forced to pull out last minute due to swine 'flu. Who is Pus and why would someone call themselves that? It's a two-guitar drone/doom/riff/noise duo, although can't entirely help you on the latter. They are a mega late replacement so we are grateful in equal megatude.

What else? Get to Buffalo, Windsor Place, Cardiff, 7.30pm doors (early start, early finish!) and hand us just £5 for the trouble. Perfect Friday night entertainment, we think you'll agree...

Friday, October 2

A GOOD STALKER NEVER QUITS

We'll keep this simple as the above show ain't strictly a Lesson No.1 effort - it's one of the gigs that make up the ambitious and hugely thumbs-up-worthy Meze Festival in Newport venue the Meze Lounge and adjoining Mojo. Other endorsees of this night of decibel-laced fun are The Joy Collective and Sharp Noodle, so go check those folks out too.

The two dubiously-skilled members of Lesson No.1 will be DJing afterwards too. T'other essential details for anybody unable to read the above poster = Newport Meze Lounge, Tuesday October 6th 2009, £4 adv, 8pm-2am and tickets are this way. All requests for records you'd like us to play post-gig will be treated with snobbish disdain, no doubt. Unless you ask for some Pissed Jeans or Jesus Lizard, then you'll probably be in luck...